Commercial article printing typically occurs during the production of the article. For example, ball skins are printed with patterns or logos prior to the ball being completed and inflated. Consequently, a non-production establishment, such as a distribution site, which customizes products, for example, in region in which potential product customers support multiple professional or collegiate teams, needs to keep an inventory of products bearing the logos of various teams followed in the area. Ordering the correct number of products for each different logo to maintain the inventory can be problematic.
One way to address these issues in non-production outlets would be to keep unprinted versions of the products, and print the patterns or logos on them at the distribution site. Adapting known printing techniques, such as two-dimensional (2D) media printing technology, to apply image content onto three-dimensional objects is difficult. The difficulties are especially compounded when the objects are nested in a stacked arrangement for storage as is the case in plastic cups and the like. One object at a time needs to be removed from the stacked configuration of objects for printing and the run of objects to be printed may be short as a customer only needs two or four of the objects printed with some custom pattern. Therefore, printing systems capable of being operated in non-production environments that can print nested 3D objects are unknown, but desirable.